


Chasing After Something

by BetterInFiction



Series: Own Devices [10]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Budding Love, Getting to Know Each Other, Hatake Kakashi Has Issues, Hatake Kakashi Is Trying, M/M, Naruto is Just Naruto, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Uchiha Obito is a good friend, Underage Drinking, Uzumaki Naruto Has Issues, minor rin/obito
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27985737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetterInFiction/pseuds/BetterInFiction
Summary: It wasn't Kakashi's idea to sign up to be a resident assistant for his junior year but Obito had forged his signature and he figured he could use the cash. There was no way that he could know that the blonde freshman who just bowled him over was going to become a fixture in his life and he had a sneaking suspicion that this was what Obito wanted all along.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Own Devices [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891162
Comments: 29
Kudos: 129





	1. Chapter 1

“Is there a reason we’re socializing with freshmen?” Kakashi asked, casting a cold look at a girl who bumped into him with a box. The halls were crowded with the new freshmen moving into their dorms, it was loud and sweaty and Kakashi would much rather be in his room and reading.

“For crying out loud Kakashi,” Obito said, sighing loudly. “You do know that these are our residents, right? We’re _supposed_ to socialize with them.”

“And?” he drawled. It hadn’t been his idea to sign up to be a Resident Assistant for their junior year in the first place. He remembered being a freshman and he certainly didn’t want to relive those problems, let alone help new kids deal with them. But Obito had forged his signature on the application and he figured he could actually use the cash. His friend threw his hands up with a frustrated sound.

“We just have to meet these two and then you can go cower in your cave until orientation,” he sighed, running a hand through his black hair.

“I don’t _cower_ , if anything I lurk,” he sniffed. “And what’s so special about these two?” he actually didn’t care, but Obito had been persistent to drag him out.

“It’s my cousin!” his face lit up.

“Great,” he groaned, “Another Uchiha.” Obito shoved him lightly.

“Be nice, besides it’s Sasuke, Itachi’s brother. You remember him, right? You’ve met a couple times.”

“Of course, I remember him, we always say exactly zero words to each other,” Kakashi intoned, rolling his eyes. He vaguely remembered meeting Itachi’s brother at some Uchiha family event.

“Shut up bastard,” he groused. They turned a corner and Kakashi saw a flash of yellow before he was plowed to the ground.

“Ow,” the figure on top of him groaned and shifted.

“Tell me about it,” Kakashi hissed, his back aching.

“Oh fuck,” the guy breathed and suddenly Kakashi was looking up into the clearest and bluest eyes he had ever seen. The tan face flushed deeply above him. “I’m so sorry,” he said in a rush. Kakashi grunted as the guy’s knee collided with his stomach in his haste to get up. “I’m sorry!” he repeated, grabbing Kakashi’s arm and hauling him up with surprising strength.

“It’s… fine,” Kakashi said awkwardly, looking down at the blonde freshman. He briefly wondered if he was concussed because there was no way this guy was real. The blonde hair, blue eyes, tan skin for miles, good god it was like light was radiating out of him as he smiled.

“What the hell moron?” a new voice asked. Kakashi pulled his eyes away to see two sets of judgmental Uchiha eyes staring at them. _Great._ He quickly stepped back and hoped that his face didn’t give anything away.

“It was an accident I swear!” Kakashi flinched at the volume. _Wow, loud,_ he thought as the guy turned away from him.

“Sure it was dipshit,” the new Uchiha, Sasuke, smirked and Kakashi thought he heard the blonde mumble something about a bastard.

“Well, Kakashi this is Naruto. Naruto this is Kakashi,” Obito smiled widely, throwing his arm over Sasuke’s shoulders. The young man blinked up at Kakashi before flashing a sheepish smile and sticking out his hand for a handshake. Kakashi looked at his friend as if this was some kind of prank, but Obito just snickered. He shrugged and took the hand that was still being offered.

“I would say nice to meet you, but my back says otherwise,” he said, and Naruto’s smile immediately collapsed.

“Yeah well, I think I have a concussion, what is your chest made of? Concrete?” he asked, reaching forward to poke at him but he knocked his hand away with a glare.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! What do you think Sasuke?” Obito asked, pulling at his cousin’s cheek.

“Get off of me,” Sasuke growled, elbowing his cousin hard in the stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, back in August when I got back into writing KakaNaru again I started a few stories that followed this flashback - present - flashback - format. This was one of them but I decided that I wanted to add to it and post it in a linear fashion as more like vignettes? We're just gonna play around around with and we'll see, it'll be an adventure.
> 
> The original inspiration for this College AU was Joy and Quarter Past Midnight by Bastille (okay my love for Bastille was out of control back then too) and the meanings behind those two songs just screamed college to me. It'll make sense eventually haha.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh, sorry.” Kakashi blinked up from his studying at the shadow in the doorway.

“It’s fine,” he squinted at the clock on the wall, he hadn’t realized how late it was. “Did you need something?” he asked, looking back up at Naruto and hoping that the answer would be no. The blonde was still standing in the doorway to the common room, wearing rumpled shorts and a tank top. He hadn’t officially seen the freshman since orientation, but he had noticed him around campus, and he could always _hear_ him. His raucous laughter carrying down the hall into his room all the time.

“Uh, no,” he said, shifting from foot to foot. “I couldn’t sleep and Sasuke was getting annoyed, so I figured I’d hang out in here,” he said quickly. “But I don’t want to bother you, so I’ll just go to another floor or something.”

“It’s fine,” Kakashi said, turning back to his books. “I won’t bite,” he added when the teen remained where he was. Naruto shifted for another moment before seeming to come to some decision and fully entering the room. The common room was small, just consisting of a kitchenette, an old couch, and the small table that Kakashi currently had taken over. Naruto sat on the edge of the couch, hands fidgeting in his lap as he looked over all the books on the table.

“It’s Kakashi right?” Naruto asked abruptly.

“Yep,” he kept his focus on his notes. “And you’re Naruto, like the bridge,” he stated, he didn’t really need to ask. Despite what Obito thought, he knew the names of everyone who lived on their floor, he might not care about the job, but he wasn’t going to purposely be bad at it.

“Hey, didn’t you think maybe the bridge was named after me?” Kakashi looked up as Naruto grinned and he noticed, for the first time, the faint, uneven scars across his face, not that he had been paying attention the first time they met. Naruto’s smile only grew when Kakashi arched an eyebrow at him. “Worth a shot. Didn’t school just start?” He changed the subject, gesturing to all of the books.

“I like to be prepared,” he answered curtly, regretting letting the blonde stay as he tried to focus again.

“Huh.” He reluctantly looked back over at Naruto.

“What?” Naruto just shrugged and leaned back into the cushions.

“Just, I’ve seen you around, y’know, you always seem like you don’t care about anything,” he said casually.

“I have an image to protect,” Kakashi said stiffly. He knew how he came off to people, bored and aloof, and he didn’t really care. He had spent a majority of his life keeping to himself and he had never been interested in friends. Obito had forced his way into being his best friend when they were six and refused to budge, and Rin had won him over with her quiet, calming presence when they were in high school. He didn’t need or want anyone else knowing his business. So why did it bother him when this guy said he didn’t care about anything?

“Sorry, my mouth has a mind of its own sometimes,” Naruto scratched at the back of his neck. Kakashi just hummed dismissively and tried to get back to focusing on his notes in front of him. He saw Naruto shift out of the corner of his eye, he pulled out his phone and then put it back, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. Kakashi repressed a sigh, this was a lost cause wasn’t it? Ignoring him wasn’t going to work, he was actually going to have to carry on talking to him.

“You and Uchiha seem like an odd pair,” he said finally. It was true, he had watched them interact over the last couple weeks and they were polar opposites but always together. He had even seen Sasuke smile which he had never seen in the numerous Uchiha family events that he had been to.

“The same could be said about you and Obito,” he laughed, the sound echoing in the confined space.

“Obito didn’t give me much choice,” Kakashi shrugged with a small grin.

“Sasuke would probably say the same thing about me.” _I bet a lot of people say that about you._ “We actually hated each other when we were kids, but we were always thrown together because our last names were close, and I guess I wore him down. Oh my god!” he suddenly shouted, causing Kakashi to jump.

“What the hell? Hey!” Naruto’s hand flew forward into Kakashi’s book bag.

“You read these?” Naruto held up the orange book, a victorious smile on his face.

“So, what if I do?” he asked, snatching it back as Naruto cackled, but the sound was joyous and not malicious.

“My godfather writes them,” he smiled gleefully. “I can’t believe you of all people have it! I always thought it was horny middle-aged women who read them.”

“Wait, Jiraiya is _your_ godfather?” he asked, deciding to focus on that and not the implied insult. “You’re kidding right?”

“I wish,” he stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes. “I’ve had to deal with his perverted ass my whole life.”

“Unbelievable,” he whispered. He had questions, lots of them, but just as quickly as Naruto had closed his eyes, he had fallen asleep. “Just unbelievable,” he shook his head, turning back to studying and occasionally casting a glance at the sleeping teen. He was mildly curious about him now, but not curious enough to ask Obito for details. He had a feeling that his nosey friend somehow wanted this to happen and he wouldn’t fall into whatever trap he was setting.

* * *

“Hey Kakashi!” Both he and Obito turned as Naruto ran across the quad to them.

“Naruto! What’s up?” Obito greeted him.

“Hey, Obito,” Naruto smiled a bit breathlessly, digging into his bag. “Here,” he thrust an orange wrapped package in Kakashi’s face.

“Why?” he asked, frowning suspiciously at the present. _There’s no way he could know._

“Just open it!” Naruto rolled his eyes. Before he could move to open it though, it was ripped from his hands.

“You’re so slow Kakashi, come on!” Obito said excitedly, tearing into the paper for him. “A book, really?” he sounded mildly disappointed. Kakashi grabbed the green book once he read _Icha Icha Tactics_ across the cover. “Oi this is one of your pervy books!”

“How?” he asked in shock, looking at the grinning blonde. The book wasn’t set to be released for another couple months.

“I told you, I know the author,” he winked. “Anyways, I gotta get to class. Happy Birthday Kakashi!” with a wave he was off, leaving Kakashi clutching the present and gaping at his back.

“Well,” Obito stated, sounding pleased with himself.

“Well, what?” he asked stiffly, trying to regain his composure and _carefully_ stuffing the book in his bag even though he really wanted to stare at it for a little longer. He really, _really_ wanted to know how Naruto knew that it was his birthday, he knew for certain that he didn’t tell him. Did Obito or Rin? But Obito seemed just as surprised… He glared at his friend when he didn’t say anything. “Shut up.” He really wanted to smack that sly grin off his face, instead he just started walking away.

“Hey!” Obito squawked, running to catch up with his long strides. “So, you and Naruto really kicked it off huh?”

“You’re delusional,” he brushed him off, and Obito threw his head back and laughed. “Did you tell him?” He was trying to wrack his brain, he knew Obito hadn’t even put it on that ridiculous floor birthday calendar so _how the hell_ did this complete stranger know it was his birthday? _And why aren’t I as annoyed as I should be?_

“Pfft, of course not!” Obito said, turning a little more serious. “I _know_ you.” Kakashi nodded slowly, he had stopped caring about his birthday when his father had died. The only people who even knew were Obito and Rin and they respected his ban on doing anything special on this day. _So how?_ “Hey, you better not be having any dirty ideas in that perverted head of yours.” He blinked at Obito, who had jumped in front of him to get him to stop walking.“Do _not_ sleep with any of our residents!” He jabbed his finger into Kakashi’s chest.

“Didn’t your class start ten minutes ago?” He asked and Obito blanched.

“Shit! And we’re on the wrong side of campus!” He took off. “Don’t think this conversation is over!” He called over his shoulder and Kakashi watched him go, thinking about what he had said. He wasn’t blind, he knew that Naruto was physically attractive even if he was abrasively loud. He could potentially entertain the idea hooking up with him. But he enjoyed casual hookups and thought that relationships weren’t worth it, he didn’t like clingy people.

 _“No, it’s just that you don’t know how to deal with other people’s problems,”_ Obito would say. But, even if Naruto swung his way, he figured tangling with him would be more trouble than it was worth. Especially since he was best friends with a Uchiha, Obito would never let him live it down. He shook the thought from his head and went to go get a coffee, he had a new book to read after all. He could figure out how Naruto found out his birthday later until then he could go back to ignoring him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try and update this one a week, as long as I can keep on top of it, between Monday and Wednesday


	3. Interlude: Ramen Misadventure

Kakashi yawned for the umpteenth time that night, watching the other students mill about on the grass, huddling together against the chill. It had been a pleasant night until the fire alarm started going off, he wished he had thought to grab _Icha Icha_ on the way out, it always took a while for the firemen to clear the building.

“I’m sorry okay!” He turned as he heard a familiar voice shout, eyes landing on the blonde’s back as he waved his arms. Next to him was a fuming Sasuke and a girl with pink hair that looked vaguely familiar. “It’s not like I meant to do it!”

“Maa, what was that?” He asked, stepping up behind him. Naruto whirled around, cringing as he met Kakashi’s eyes.

“Nothing, nothing at all!” He lied badly, voice going high as he scratched the back of his head.

“Didn’t sound like nothing,” Kakashi said and Naruto squirmed under his gaze.

“It was an accident!” Naruto whined, caving in. “I just forgot to…” the rest of the sentence was lost in an incoherent mumble. “God, Jiraiya’s gonna kill me!” He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“Calm down,” he sighed. “What did you do?”

“Yeah, Naruto, what _did_ you do?” The pink-haired girl piped in with a smile and Naruto threw a glare at her.

“I was making cup ramen, because I was studying, y’know, and I got hungry, and I dunno, I guess I was more tired than I thought and I just kinda forgot to… add water,” his face was burning red by the time he had finished and Kakashi blinked, not understanding what that had to do with the fire alarm. “I didn’t know it’d catch fire in the microwave!” He blinked again, the situation finally clicking.

“You set the dorm on fire with cup ramen?” He asked, massaging his temples.

“It wasn’t a _fire_ fire! It was more like a… like a smolder,” he said weakly, shoulders drooping as he deflated. “I got it out.” He almost felt bad when he saw the dejected look on his face, it reminded him of a puppy he had as a kid. He sighed wearily, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his sweats.

“Don’t worry about it,” he shrugged, and Naruto’s face lit up.

“What’d’you mean?” Naruto asked, tipping up into his space so that Kakashi had to lean back. “You’re gonna cover for me?” Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at him. “I love you!” He grunted and staggered as arms wrapped around his neck.

“Off,” he strained, hands hovering over warm sides.

“Sorry, sorry,” Naruto was pushing away with a sheepish laugh, a flush high on his cheeks. Kakashi coughed, stepping back. “Thanks, Kakashi!” He beamed and Kakashi shrugged again, looking away and suddenly feeling uncomfortable under the intensity of it. “Can we forget this ever happened?”

“Maa, I suppose, but you owe me,” he turned on his heel before he could answer, throwing a wave over his shoulder when he heard the indignant sound of protest behind him. It might be fun to mess with him for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this is based on a somewhat true story. When I was in college and living in a dorm, the fire alarm went off and when we were let back into the building the resident director was standing in the entryway holding this smoldering, indistinct pile of ash. Someone had cup ramen and stuck it in the microwave for three minutes, except they had purposefully left the water out for reasons I do not know. But the styrofoam cup caught fire, so the lesson here kids is: don't stick the styrofoam cup in the microwave without water (I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to microwave those ramen cups anyway but anywho)
> 
> Sorry about the super-shortness, this wasn't what I had intended next but the next chapter wasn't done and I wanted to get something out before the holiday, so here's a short interlude.
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone! Stay safe!


	4. Chapter 4

“ _Naruto take the register I’m going on break,”_ Shikamaru droned in his ear and Naruto grumbled, quickly shelving some of the books in his hand before walking briskly to the counter. He liked Shikamaru well enough, they had a few gen ed classes together, but he was a bit lazy and always managed to time his breaks when they were busy. He nearly dropped the remaining books he was holding when he saw the familiar form slouching at the cash wrap.

_Shit._

It wasn’t like he had been avoiding Kakashi for the last few weeks, but he was. He wasn’t sure what had compelled him to give him Jiraiya’s new book, but he had seen how dog-eared _Paradise_ was and it seemed like a good idea. He had _planned_ to wait for Christmas because maybe then they would know each other better and it wouldn’t be awkward but then he had happened to see a certain _Hatake Kakashi_ in the customer registry and that was where the good idea turned… not so good. There was no reason for him to know Kakashi’s birthday, which was a fact that he realized the second he had left the guy, dazed, in the quad. He had rushed back to the dorm, hoping that he could pass it off as seeing it on the calendar Obito had in the hall, but it wasn’t even on that for some reason! So here Naruto was, facing a crisis. _Maybe he won’t make the connection?_ he hoped.

“I didn’t know you worked here.” Naruto jumped, not realizing that he had turned around, eyes flicking up to meet gray ones. Kakashi looked just as casual as always, hands tucked in his pockets under his slightly baggy shirt and he assumed he wore that usual bored expression under the facemask he was wearing.

“Uh, hey Kakashi!” He greeted affably, trying to keep his cool and feeling like he was failing as those calculating eyes seemed to watch his every move. _This guy can be seriously intimidating!_

“You know, I’m pretty sure getting my birthday out of the database has to break some kind of privacy law,” he drawled, one gray eyebrow raising. _Shit._

“I like to think of it as a perk?” He tried, flashing a grin at him, Kakashi didn’t look like he bought it, but he also didn’t look mad, not that he could really tell. “I mean, it’s kinda like an advance on my inheritance or something, since-”

“Jiraiya owns the place,” Kakashi finished for him.

“Exactly!” He beamed.

“I’ve never seen you here before,” he leaned against the counter as Naruto started to ring up his books which surprisingly didn’t contain any type of cheesy romance novels.

“I worked at the one outside of the city during high school,” he shrugged casually. Jiraiya had opened the stores a few years ago as a way to settle down and take care of him after his parents died. “What’s with the mask?” Kakashi blinked at the change in topic. “You gonna pull a heist or something?”

“A heist?” He said blankly.

“Y’know, like in a movie,” he rolled his eyes. He was starting to wonder if maybe Kakashi lived in a cave, it might explain his love for _Icha Icha._

“It’s almost flu season,” Kakashi intoned and Naruto laughed.

“It’s October!”

“Yes, well my body is like a microchip.” It was Naruto’s turn to blink at him.

“Did you just quote that tv show?” He asked, he had a feeling he was smirking under the black fabric. But Naruto was more shocked at the joke.

“Maybe,” he shrugged, grabbing his bag from Naruto’s outstretched hand. “See you around.” He threw a wave over his shoulder and disappeared in the shelves. Naruto leaned against the countertop, Kakashi was strange but he kind of liked it. He was tempted to ask Sasuke about him, but he knew that would result in the _‘figure it out yourself idiot’_ _look_ that he hated so much.

“Oi kid!” He jumped as a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

“When did you get here?” He asked, looking up his godfather’s smirking face.

“Long enough to see whatever that was. Who was that?” He asked, roughly ruffling his hair.

“Argh, get off,” he groaned, swatting at his hand. “It was no one,” he lied, knowing that Jiraiya would snoop or make fun of him.

“Was that the person who you begged to give the book too?” Jiraiya teased, and Naruto cringed for a moment before catching himself.

“I have work to do,” he said stiffly, grabbing the books he was working on putting back again.

“Oh-ho maybe I should go chase him down, give him my autograph since he’s such a fan,” Jiraiya teased, following him down the aisle. “He has good taste; I’ll give him that.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled.

“I must say this is refreshing though kid,” the man continued, and Naruto did his best to ignore him. “Usually, you make your friends by fighting with them first. My little Naruto is all grown up,” he sniffled dramatically.

“I did not _fight_ with all my friends,” Naruto bristled.

“No?” Jiraiya prodded, raising an eyebrow down at him. “Let’s see, there was Sasuke, that Hyuga, oh and that weird kid from Suna,” he listed.

“ _Agh_ okay, okay,” he waved him off. So, what if he got into a lot of fights when he was a kid? It had been a phase, and it wasn’t like anything _bad_ had actually happened. “I don’t do that anymore. Did you come all the way here to annoy me, old man?”

“It’s always a bonus,” Jiraiya smirked, reaching out to ruffle his hair again, softer this time. “But I thought you mighta missed me brat.” Naruto grunted as his arm wrapped around his shoulders. He had kind of missed him, even though the man had settled down significantly in the last six years for him, he had started traveling again when Naruto moved into the dorm. It _was_ getting close to that time of year too…

“Yeah maybe I did,” he admitted with a sigh.

“Come on, aren’t you done? We’ll get ramen. Maybe I’ll write that autograph for you huh? Hey, here’s an idea, I’ll give you a few to hand out,” he pondered.

“No one wants your autograph you old perv!” He yelled, and Jiraiya threw his head back and laughed.

“Let’s go, you brat,” he chuckled, shoving him toward the exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the chapters are short but I kinda like it that way for now. They will get longer.  
> And the show Kakashi was quoting was Parks and Recreation
> 
> Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto let out the breath that he had been holding as he stepped into the somewhat hidden alcove under the stairs. This had become his usual hiding spot whenever he was invited to the Uchiha’s for some party. He liked Sasuke’s family, Mikoto and Itachi had always been kind to him but he knew Fugaku only barely tolerated his presence. He knew that Sasuke’s dad thought that he was holding him back, especially when they were younger and spent more time getting into fights and trouble than talking or studying. But he could only take so much of the stern Uchiha gaze and he always felt too loud, too clumsy, for these parties. He sighed again, moving to take a sip from the beer he had nabbed from the kitchen, yelping as a hand appeared and grabbed the bottle.

“Maa I’m pretty sure you’re not old enough to drink Naruto,” Kakashi said coolly.

“Holy shit! What are you doing here?” He asked, glaring at the man, at least he had forgone the silly mask this time. His mind went back to the neon orange mask he had found dangling from his doorknob on his birthday just a few days after their encounter at the bookstore. He hadn’t had the chance to ask him about it, or thank him, since midterms and work had started to take up his time.

“I was invited,” he answered simply, drinking Naruto’s beer. “This is my hiding spot.” He flapped his hand at him as if to shoo him away.

“Oi! I was here first!” Naruto hissed.

“I’ve been dragged to more of these parties than you,” he stated. “I have seniority.”

“But I’ve known Sasuke my whole life!”

“ _But_ my life has been two years longer than yours,” he smirked down at him and Naruto felt his scowl deepen. “Why are you hiding?”

“Why are you?” He shot back and Kakashi just arched an eyebrow down at him that basically said, ‘ _I asked you first’._ “I just needed a break. I always feel…” he hesitated. “Like I’m gonna break something y’know?” He scratched at the back of his head, suddenly feeling embarrassed. It wasn’t his fault that Sasuke’s parents had so many freaking antiques out in the open. He hadn’t actually broken anything in years, but he still felt like he was being watched carefully the second he stepped over the threshold.

“No, I don’t know,” Kakashi drawled and Naruto growled in annoyance. Of course, _Mr. Cool-and-collected_ wouldn’t understand. “I understand needing a break though,” he seemed to soften a bit. “But I didn’t think you were the type.”

“What the hell does that mean? Type of what?” He asked suspiciously while Kakashi leaned against the wall of the alcove.

“The type that needs a break, you always seem so… energetic,” he shrugged and gray eyes met his. Naruto wasn’t sure what to say to that. He hadn’t thought that Kakashi paid that much attention to him. He opened his mouth to argue. “I don’t think I’ve seen you at one of these parties before.” Naruto cringed, and while he had been wondering something similar as to why he had never met Kakashi before, he wasn’t expecting the question.

“I dunno, I, uh, I took a break from coming to family events for a while,” he answered a bit awkwardly, looking out at the various Uchiha family members and friends, the hairs on the back of his neck stood as he felt Kakashi still watching him. He felt uncomfortable with this topic, he hated how he felt uncomfortable, _period,_ at the family events that he used to enjoy before his parents died. He shook his head slightly, trying to shake the thought and the feeling of sludge creeping in, seeping up under his walls and threatening to lap at his heels. He didn’t want to have to leave, he wanted to be able to _handle_ it.

“It can be a bit much. All the people, the family.” The second part was said softly, and he looked back up at Kakashi, there was something like understanding in his voice and on his face. _Did he?_

“Kakashi, do you-?”

“What the hell is going on here?” They were interrupted by Obito’s sharp voice. _Crap,_ Naruto thought as a few pairs of dark eyes turned to the stairwell.

“It looks we need a new hiding spot Naruto,” Kakashi murmured and Obito’s eyes went between both of them, an incredulous look on his face.

“What the hell are you talking about?” He sputtered, “What are you doing? Naruto is he harassing you? You can hit him, no one will blame you.” Kakashi just shook his head, stepping forward and saying something in Obito’s ear that Naruto couldn’t quite catch but his dark eyes narrowed at Kakashi’s retreating back as he walked away.

“Naruto! What are you doing over here?” Sakura called, bounding over to him, threading her arm through his. “Sasuke’s been looking for you. He thought you might have left, are you okay?” Her voice dipped low and she gave his hand a light squeeze.

“Yeah, of course, I’m fine!” He said, trying to sound reassuring as he smiled down at her. “C’mon let’s go.” He let her lead him through the crowd and towards where Sasuke was with Itachi. He wasn’t feeling as tense as he had before, and he found himself relaxing and not feeling the sharp gazes as much anymore. Occasionally he scanned the crowd, eyes landing on lopsided silver hair across the room, chatting with Obito and a girl with short brown hair that he didn’t know. Kakashi’s gaze met his and he tipped his drink towards him and Naruto scowled, barely resisting the urge to flip him off from across the room. _Smug bastard,_ he thought turning back to his friends. _But still…_ he couldn’t help but think of how he had sounded in the alcove.

 _“The family.”_ It was almost like an afterthought, or that he hadn’t meant to say it out loud at all. _Just what is his deal?_ He thought, letting his eyes drift once more. He would figure it out though, otherwise, it would drive him crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a fantastic new year and start to 2021!  
> There may or may not be a chapter next week, I need to try and catch up on some other things. But we shall see!
> 
> Just a note at this point in the story Kakashi is now 21 and Naruto is 19  
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

“I had an interesting conversation the other day,” Rin said, smiling as she sat down across from him in the dining hall.

“I’m sure you have lots of interesting conversations Rin,” Kakashi hummed, pen still dangling between his lips. His friend huffed, she looked like she had just come from the lab where she spent most of her free time.

“Hmm, but don’t you want to know _who_ it was with?” She teased, brown eyes shining at him and Kakashi sighed, closing his notebook and looking at her expectantly. “It was with this guy, blonde hair, blue eyes, said he lives on your floor.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” he lied, choosing to pull out _Icha Icha_ because he knew how much Rin hated it when he read that when she was trying to have a conversation.

“Uh huh,” she hummed dismissively, “He was asking a lot of questions about you,” she plowed on. “I guess you don’t care what I told him then either.” Kakashi knew she was goading him, they had been friends for a while now, she knew just as much about him as Obito and knew exactly which buttons to press. But why would Naruto be asking others about him? “Well, I guess I’ll just keep it to myself,” she sighed, turning her attention back to her lunch.

“You didn’t tell him anything,” he gave in, closing his book again and leaning back in his seat.

“You’re right, I was on my way to class. He walked with me, it was cute,” she giggled. “He wanted to know who I was, how long I’ve known you, things like that.” Kakashi hummed, now that he thought about it, he had seen the blonde lurking this week, ducking around corners or pretending to check something on his phone when Kakashi spotted him, it was obvious that he was trying to spy on him. But why? He thought about their last few encounters to see if he could figure out what might have set this off. Other than a mumbled apology after crashing into each other in the bathroom, they really hadn’t talked since the Uchiha’s. _Was it something I said then?_ He thought about the look on the Naruto’s face, the way those odd scars pulled down as he frowned, as he mentioned taking a break from the family parties. Kakashi knew the look behind his eyes, it was the same sadness and loneliness that he himself saw in the mirror on occasion. He realized he still didn’t know anything about him other than what he saw on the outside, all the brightness and loudness that seemed to accompany Naruto. But he had definitely seen something else that night…

“What’s that face Kakashi?” He blinked, looking back at her.

“Maa you should be used to my face by now Rin,” he shot back, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t know why Naruto would talk to you.”

“Wait, is _he_ the one Obito caught you with at the Uchiha’s?” Rin grinned triumphantly at him. “Why were you in a closet?” _Dammit Obito,_ he was always over-exaggerating something for the story of it. He’d have to mess with him somehow for making their conversation more sordid than it was. 

“It was a party, we were talking,” Kakashi shrugged it off, looking around the large room as if expecting Naruto or Obito to magically appear. “And it wasn’t in a closet. What?” He asked as her smile grew, that smile usually meant that she knew something he didn’t.

“Nothing,” it was her turn to shake her head. “Just thinking about something Obito said. Do you like this Naruto?”

“You need to stop listening to that idiot,” he stated, packing up his things. “Focus on becoming a doctor instead of silly things like a love life, especially mine.”

“Hmm, maybe you should listen to him more Kakashi, he _is_ your best friend for some reason,” she shrugged.

“But see, Obito told me to leave the kid alone,” he pushed the chair back and stood, hooking his mask up over his nose.

“And are you going to?” She asked, eyes still shining as she grinned. He should say yes because he _should_ leave the kid alone and saying otherwise could encourage whatever was going on in his friend’s head, but he had a feeling that Rin would know that he was lying. “At least tell me you’ll be nice to him.”

“I’m always nice,” Kakashi pretended to be offended. “It’s not my fault he riles up so easily.”

“Uh-huh, just don’t mess with him for too long, otherwise you’ll get an earful.”

“From you or Obito?” He asked.

“Who do you think?” She laughed. _Great,_ he thought as he threw a wave over his shoulder, he needed new friends. But something was niggling at the back of his mind.

_“Do you like this Naruto?”_

* * *

“You have a shadow,” Asuma said and Kakashi looked up, following his line of sight and just catching the flash of yellow and orange as it ducked behind the brick wall. “Stalker?” He raised a dark eyebrow, taking a drag of his cigarette.

“Something like that,” Kakashi sighed, it seemed like he didn’t have to wait long at all, his conversation with Rin from just a few hours ago playing in his mind.

“Who’d you piss off this time?” He asked with a chuckle.

“He lives on my floor. I’ll deal with it.” He ducked around the side of the building. The teen didn’t seem to notice him as he quietly walked up behind him crouching again as he looked around the corner towards where he had been standing with Asuma, head swiveling when he realized that Kakashi was no longer there. “Hey.”

“Holy fu-,” he whirled around, arms flailing as he landed on his ass. “Ah, hey Kakashi! How’s it going?” His voice was high and Kakashi could see the panic in his eyes as he tried to think of something to say.

“It’s going. What are you doing Naruto?” He asked, watching as he floundered for a moment before sticking out his hand. Naruto stared at it suspiciously before taking it and he hauled him to his feet. He let out another yelp when Kakashi pushed him against the wall with a hand to his chest, feeling the heart pounding away under his palm.

“W-What are you doing?” He stammered, eyes wide as a flush appeared on his scarred cheeks. Kakashi noticed how uneven the three lines on each cheek really were. One side looking deeper than the other, he wondered how he got them.

“Have you been following me Naruto?” He asked, voice low as he leaned in closer. “I swear I keep seeing you around.”

“Um.” The gulp was audible as he swallowed “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Naruto mumbled, looking away as he scratched at the back of his head. “I’m just, I got a bit turned around y’know?” His eyes flicked back to his as he lied.

“You’re lost?” He played along, letting his hand drop as he took a step back.

“Yeah!” Blue eyes lit up, and some of the tension left his shoulders as he fell for it. “You know how it is, this campus is so damn big!” Kakashi hummed, nodding his head as an idea came to mind.

“What’s your next class I’ll walk you.”

“What, no!” The blonde blurted out, sucking in a quick breath. “I mean, I’m sure you have class or you're busy or something. You can just point me in the right direction maybe?”

“Nonsense,” he smiled broadly, flinging his arm around his shoulders. “What kind of resident assistant would I be if I left my little freshmen wandering around lost, even after nearly four months of classes hmm? Now, where to?” He asked, ignoring the increasing noises of protest coming from the other.

“Well, um, the science building?” He said weakly, shoulders sagging even further.

“Ah yeah, no wonder you’re lost! You’re on the wrong side of campus,” Kakashi said cheerily, keeping a firm grip on his shoulder, he had a feeling Naruto would bolt if he saw the opportunity.

“You really don’t have to walk me,” the teen tried again. “You probably have something better to do?”

“Nope,” he grinned as they trekked across campus and into the science building. “What’s the room number?” He asked, he knew he was probably going too far as Naruto blanched.

“It’s this one,” he said quickly, gesturing to the first lecture hall that had students going in. “Thanks, Kakashi.”

“Should I wait? Will you be able to find your way back?” Kakashi teased, and those blue eyes narrowed.

“No, I’ll be fine,” Naruto grumbled and ducked into the room that, judging by the placard on the wall, definitely wasn’t a class that he’d be taking. Kakashi rocked on his heels, tempted to stick around and see how long it’d take for him to come back out and admit what he was doing. But he decided that he had tortured the blonde enough for one day, hopefully this would put a stop to his snooping.

_“Do you like this Naruto?”_

Rin’s words came back to him as he turned to leave. He was sure the answer was no that he was just indifferent towards the teen. But he had to admit that there was _something_ about him that made him hard for Kakashi to ignore. It didn’t help that he always seemed to be wherever he looked. But he was sure the novelty would wear off, for both him and for Naruto and then things would go back to normal. He was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, I took an extra week. This story was kinda a practice at trying to keep a schedule/update every week but I might not be able to keep that up, unfortunately. It kind of forces all my attention away from my other stories. I might have to reevaluate a schedule.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: underage drinking

Naruto was drunk.

The semester was over and Kiba had dragged him to some frat party to celebrate and now here he was, leaning heavily against the wall and looking blankly over the crowd and wondering where his friend had gone. He had only been drunk a few times before, and usually, he regretted it because Jiraiya would torment his hungover ass relentlessly the next morning. But Jiraiya was off on a book tour and drinking seemed to be dulling the ringing in his ears. It muted everything to a pleasant hum that he knew was short-lived, but the relief was worth it. But he was still feeling anxious and keyed up. Maybe it had something to do with the flashing lights that reminded him a bit too much of the accident.

He tore his eyes away from the shapeless crowd to reach in his pocket for his phone only to remember that he had left it back in the dorm for this very reason. Who was he going to call anyway? He had told Jiraiya to go to Ame, that he’d be fine, and he had said the same to Sasuke when he left for the holidays. It wasn’t their fault that it was the anniversary of their death. He shook his head, ignoring how everything still seemed to move and spotted Kiba’s messy brown hair in the throng and pushing off from the wall. He was here to have fun.

* * *

Kakashi turned as he heard Naruto’s raucous laugh at the party, eyes searching the crowd. He hadn’t expected to see him here, he himself was only there because Rin, Asuma, and Kurenai had dragged him out for the end of the semester. He thought that Naruto had already gone home or off with Sasuke to wherever they were going this year. It had seemed his trick of forcing Naruto into that lecture seemed to have worked better than he had expected, and he hadn’t seen the blonde lurking around corners, but he still found himself looking. Watching him from the corner of his eye whenever he glimpsed him in the dining hall or in the common room late at night. His eyes finally landed on the blonde, goofing around with a few other guys at a table littered with plastic cups. He was smiling, but Kakashi could see that it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Kakashi had noticed as something had settled over his shoulders and those striking blue eyes seemed duller than usual. He had just chalked it up to the stress of being a freshman and dealing with finals, but maybe there was something else going on.

“Oh, isn’t that _Naruto_?” Rin appeared at his side, smiling around a straw. “Are you going to go talk to him?” She asked, nudging him with her shoulder. “Oh wait, but you don’t like him.” She was baiting him again, waiting for him to admit that he did actually like the kid.

“And if I said I did? What then?” He asked back and her large brown eyes looked shocked.

“Well.” He didn’t get the chance to hear her reply because his feet were moving as Naruto stumbled against the wall, beer sloshing out of his cup and down his hoodie. He caught his elbow before he could slip further towards the floor.

“Oh, hey Kakashi~!” Naruto slurred as he noticed him, but his eyes didn’t seem to focus on him.

“I think it’s time to go Naruto,” Kakashi said softly, taking his arm to help him up.

“Who’s the stalker now huh?” He grinned crookedly, leaning heavily against him. “‘M fine,” he mumbled, making a half-hearted attempt to push him away before falling back against his side.

“Sure, you are, c’mon let’s go.” He slung the arm he was gripping over his shoulder and maneuvered them through the crowd, catching Rin’s eye again.

“Oi, this isn’t like the Uchi- _Uchihaha’s_ party,” Naruto complained, coming more aware with the cold winter air. “You can’t boss me around y’know!”

“I’m still older than you,” he observed, and Naruto grumbled incoherently for a moment. _And apparently unable to ignore you._ “If you throw up on me I’ll leave you out here to freeze.”

“You gonna make me go to another stupid lecture?”

“I don’t see any professors on, what was it… marine parasites, around do you?” He asked and Naruto threw his head back and laughed, it wasn’t as raucous as before but still loud and pleasant.

“Bastard,” he hiccupped. “I sat in there for _three_ hours!”

“Did you learn something?” He teased.

“No,” he pouted, leaning heavily. “How’d you know I was followin’ you?”

“You were obvious.”

“ _Pffft_!” The blonde blew a messy raspberry. “I wasn’t really _stalking_ stalking you though.”

“Then what _were_ you doing?” Kakashi asked but Naruto fell silent once again and Kakashi decided to focus on getting them back to the dorm. “Hey, Naruto, we’re almost there,” he urged as the teen started to list to the side towards a bench.

“Jus’ lemme sit for a minute,” he slurred, sitting heavily, tipping his head back against the wood. Kakashi stuffed his cold fingers into his pockets, looking around the mostly deserted campus before landing back on Naruto. He looked washed out under the streetlamp, but his cheeks were flushed, either from the cold or alcohol, and his blonde eyelashes were dark against his skin as they fluttered shut.

“Don’t fall asleep on me now,” he nudged his foot with his own and Naruto groaned, grudgingly pushing up to rest his arms on his thighs.

“Why are you still here anyway huh?” He asked.

“I like the quiet,” he shrugged. “Why are you?”

“I don’t,” he replied bluntly and there was that look again, Kakashi realized, the same that he had seen at the Uchiha’s and still looking out of place on him. “It’s cold.” His hand passed over his face, rubbing at his scars.

“You know, there’s this thing called inside,” he drawled, sitting down next to him on the bench and the blonde hummed dismissively as he shifted a bit closer to him and Kakashi was mildly grateful for his warmth against the chill of December. “Naruto,” he started, realizing that if he kept prodding, this was probably his chance to get Naruto to answer honestly on why he had been following him around.

“No one’s there when it’s quiet, y’know,” he slurred, head heavier against his shoulder. “My parents died seven years ago,” he sighed and Kakashi stiffened, he had gathered his suspicions but he hadn’t been sure. “An accident, I was too,” he swiped at the uneven scars on his cheek again and he finally knew how he received them. 

“I’m sorry Naruto,” he said, closing his eyes against his own unpleasant memories, but it made sense now, the shadow that he had seen seeping in. 

“It’s fine. I can, I can handle it.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that. Kakashi had said the same thing enough, but Naruto always seemed so genuinely carefree. But maybe it was just a mask… or maybe Naruto had just gotten drunk and now he wanted to get it off his chest and Kakashi was the one who happened to be there.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” he stood again, grabbing his arm to haul him up, the teen grumbled under his breath for a minute before moving with him, shuffling the rest of the way to their dorm. “Naruto where are your keys?” He grunted, jostling him as they approached his room.

“Sasuke has ‘em,” he mumbled, half asleep.

“Sasuke isn’t here,” Kakashi groaned, tempted to just drop him in the hall.

“Oh right. Don’t you have a what’sathing?” His head tipped back against his shoulder so a bleary blue eye could peak at him.

“I didn’t bring the master key with me to a party,” his eyes went skyward. “I didn’t know anyone was still here,” he added, Obito hadn’t told him, he sighed heavily as he redirected them towards his room. He could get the key and bring him back. “Don’t get comfortable,” he ordered as Naruto stumbled into the room like it was his own, before searching through Obito’s desk.

“I wasn’t really stalkin’ you; I was just…”

“Just?” He prodded, turning around. “Hey what did I say about getting comfortable Naruto?” Naruto had already removed his shoes and was now struggling with his dirty orange hoodie from where he was sitting on Kakashi’s bed.

“I was just curious is all,” Naruto ignored him, dropping the hoodie on the floor before promptly burying his face in his pillow and Kakashi wanted to groan, could he drag him back to his own room in this state? At least this way he could make sure the kid didn’t choke on his own vomit or do something stupid he supposed, cringing at the thought. He ran a hand through his hair before dropping to the mini-fridge and grabbing one of Obito’s fancy, expensive waters.

“Drink this before you pass out,” he prompted, nudging at his shoulder. The blonde groaned but rolled over, blue eyes meeting his as he chugged the water.

“You and that silly mask,” he grinned suddenly, pushing himself up and a tan finger hooked over the elastic in the fabric before pulling it down to his chin. “Tha’s better,” his smile grew and Kakashi was frozen as Naruto wriggled around, getting comfortable on _his_ bed before promptly falling asleep. He stared at him for a moment, Naruto was only two years younger, but he looked impossibly young in sleep. He closed his eyes, he knew the mystery of Naruto now, but he still felt that he wanted to know more. In fact, there was still something compelling about him that made him want to be around him more. But he was used to keeping most people at arm’s length and this would mean opening up to someone else.

He shook his head, changing quickly and crawling into Obito’s bed, listening to the soft snores coming from the blond before falling asleep himself.

* * *

Naruto groaned as consciousness grudgingly returned him. Stuffing his head under the nice-smelling pillow to try and quell the throbbing in his brain. He licked his lips to get some moisture into his dry mouth only to grimace at the taste. _God,_ _what did I do?_ He thought, clenching his eyes shut. He remembered feeling shitty and going to the party with Kiba and drinking.

_“If you throw up on me I’ll leave you out here to freeze.”_

_“You and that silly mask.” His fingers brushing against cold skin, Kakashi’s dark eyes locked on his, unmoving as he slipped down his mask. “Tha’s better.”_

_Fuck._ He felt his face heat up from embarrassment and he tried to smother himself with his pillow.

“Fuck,” he groaned.

“Finally alive are you?” He bolted upright, feet tangling in his blankets and he found himself crashing to the floor.

“How’d you get in here,” he mumbled around his fuzzy tongue, Kakashi’s face swirling above him, hair damp and a towel slung over his shoulders.

“It’s my room,” Kakashi shrugged casually, and Naruto frowned.

“What?” He looked around, noticing a distinct lack of his ramen posters and Sasuke’s textbooks. “Shit.” _What did I do?_ Kakashi hummed dismissively.

“Come on, get up.”

“Stop bossing me around!” He snapped, groaning and throwing his arm over his eyes as the loud noise made his head hurt more.

“Here.” He moved his arm when Kakashi prodded him and accepted the cup of water and two pills.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, downing them. He looked up at him out of the corner of his eye as he moved around the room, he took off the towel and Naruto noticed he wore a baggy black sweater and jeans and he wasn't wearing his usual mask yet. _You and that silly mask._ “Did I do something stupid? Why are you here?”

“Like I said, it’s my room, and you asked me that last night before passing out in _my bed_ ,” Kakashi sounded amused, Naruto felt his face turn red, he didn’t remember any of that. “I said I liked the quiet.”

“Well sorry to bother you then,” he grumbled, lurching to his feet. He needed to brush his teeth, maybe take a shower, and then crawl into his own bed and not leave until he had to drag himself to work in a few days. “I’ll try and be quiet.” Kakashi huffed behind him as Naruto moved to pick up his discarded things.

“I didn’t say that. Do you want to get something to eat?” He whirled on the man.

“What?” This had to be some kind of joke, or maybe he was dreaming, because he had been nothing but a pest to him, stalking him and invading his space, so why was he asking about food? “You wanna get breakfast with me?”

“Lunch at this point, and I don’t see anyone else here,” he shrugged, and Naruto narrowed his eyes.

“Yeah, okay I guess,” Naruto conceded as his stomach growled.

Twenty minutes later found him sitting on a stool at _Ichiraku’s_ and sulking into a bowl of ramen, the cool air from the walk easing his head somewhat. He glanced over at Kakashi, eyeing the slouch of his shoulders. He still didn’t make sense to him, and his previous snooping had been fruitless. He was wracking his brain to see if he had done anything else idiotic last night to him, but the man’s face gave nothing away. But something felt off, why else would he be so nice to him after everything?

“What were you curious about?” Naruto blinked, realizing that Kakashi was speaking to him. “Last night, you said you were following me because you were curious. What about?”

“Oh,” he swallowed the noodles in his mouth, feeling embarrassed. _I’m never drinking again._ “Nothing really, just something you said is all. It was stupid.”

“Maa, first _Icha Icha_ and now listening when I talk. I guess I should be flattered that you paid so much attention to me, Naruto.” He could tell that Kakashi was teasing him like he had before when he made him go to that lecture.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You weren’t really that interesting to follow around y’know.”

“No one said I was,” Kakashi chuckled. “Maybe there’s a reason for that.”

“Yeah, okay, I’m sorry all right?” Naruto sighed, massaging at his temples as the hangover headache returned and the ramen feeling heavy in his stomach. “Can we start over?”

“Without you bowling me over this time?” Kakashi leaned back on the stool, somehow making it look graceful with his long legs.

“That wasn’t my fault!” He squawked and the man snorted, the sound seeming odd coming from him.

“Right, you’re usually so nimble,” he smirked, slipping that stupid mask over his face.

“Ass,” he muttered, pulling out his wallet to pay for his food.

“Is this how you usually start over with people? Calling them names?”

“Only when they deserve it. Oi! Where’re you going?” He shouted after him as he stood and started walking away.

“Hmm? Oh, you’re paying, didn’t I tell you that?” His eyes crinkled in the way that Naruto was starting to associate with a smile.

“Huh?”

“You owe me, remember?” Naruto frowned; he had tried to forget about the incident where he had nearly set the dorm on fire with cup ramen.

“But I gave you _Tactics!”_ Kakashi flapped his hand at him.

“That was before you owed me. I’ll be outside.” Naruto gaped at his back as he left the restaurant. He felt like he was getting whiplash from dealing with him. But he didn’t hate it oddly enough, but it did feel like Kakashi was always getting in his head. Maybe it had something to do with that watchful stare of his, like he was able to see his thoughts and read them easily.

_“Have you been following me Naruto?” He asked, his voice low as he leaned in closer, hand hot against his chest. “I swear I keep seeing you around.”_

He scrambled to his feet, shaking his head hard enough to make the room still spin and quickly paid for their food. Kakashi was quiet again on the walk back, his shoulders still slouched with his hands deep in his pockets. Naruto was never good with the quiet, Kakashi had been nice to him so far and he felt like he should say something.

“Hey, thanks y’know,” Naruto blurted out, picking up the pace to match his long stride. “For last night and all.”

“For giving you my bed?” There was that teasing tone again.

“No!” He bristled. “Just for everything else. I don’t usually do that, the drinking thing.”

“Well let’s not make a habit out of it, the drinking or the bed-stealing.”

“You really are a bastard sometimes,” he felt his face heat up.

“Maa, are you rethinking our ‘starting over’?” His eyes crinkled.

“No, I don’t give up that easily!” He stated.

“Noted,” Kakashi hummed. “You never told me what it was that I said. I’d hate to repeat it and have another nosey blonde freshman tail after me.”

“Oh, it was stupid,” he tried to shrug it off and there was that stare again. “It was just… how you said something.”

“How I said something made you follow me around for weeks? You really are paying attention to me.” Kakashi said, eyebrow raised, and Naruto repressed a groan.

“At the party, you said that the family thing was a bit much. But you said it like… like you knew what I was feeling right then,” Naruto said quietly, sticking his hands in his pockets, not really wanting to think about why he had been drinking last night in the first place. “My parents died when I was twelve.”

“I know, you told me last night,” he said softly, and Naruto froze, he didn’t remember that. What else did he stupidly say or confess?

“Great,” he groaned, feeling a mix of embarrassment and shame at his behavior last night. “I don’t, it’s not,” he tried to think of what to say. “I usually can handle things better but…” he trailed off. He usually tried to pass off whatever he was really feeling for Jiraiya or Sasuke because he didn’t want them to worry, but he was tired.

“I’m not judging, I _can’t_ judge,” Kakashi sighed. “My father died when I was eight and I have very few memories of my mother.” Naruto’s breath hitched, so that was it.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Don’t be sorry, Naruto, you wouldn’t have known,” he stopped walking, running a hand through his crazy gray hair. “I can understand.” His eyes were intense as he held Naruto’s gaze and he swallowed heavily. “You can talk to me.” He wished that Kakashi wasn’t wearing the mask so that he could see his full face and get a better read on him. But it didn’t sound like he was messing with him again.

“Yeah, thanks Kakashi,” he nodded, feeling a little lighter and better than he had in weeks.

“Let’s go,” Kakashi turned, waiting for him to follow. “Or are you going to make me carry you back again?” Naruto felt his face flush, he was never drinking again.

“Ass!” He sputtered, and Kakashi smiled, turning and starting to walk again. “Hey, you gonna tell me why you read the perv’s books?” He asked, running to catch up.

“No,” he replied bluntly, picking up his pace.

“Oh, come on,” Naruto needled. “I’ll let ya meet him. Oi! You’re thinking about it, aren’t you? You hesitated!”

“How about we go back to you trying to be sneaky hmm?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, unfortunately, I've thrown out the update schedule. I'm traveling at the end of the week, that might make it better or worse, we'll see.


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